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    Her Pretty Face
    Her Pretty Face
    Her Pretty Face
    Audiobook8 hours

    Her Pretty Face

    Written by Robyn Harding

    Narrated by Rebekkah Ross, Cassandra Campbell and Kirby Heyborne

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    The author of the bestselling page-turner The Party returns with another compulsively readable work of domestic suspense, heralded by New York Times bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid as “a fast-paced, thrilling, gut-wrenching novel with sharp teeth and daring observations.”

    Frances Metcalfe is struggling to stay afloat.

    A stay-at-home mom whose troubled son is her full-time job, she had hoped that the day he got accepted into the elite Forrester Academy would be the day she started living her life. Overweight, insecure, and lonely, she is desperate to fit into the Forrester world. But after a disturbing incident at the school causes the other children and their families to ostracize the Metcalfes, she feels more alone than ever before.

    Until she meets Kate Randolph.

    Kate is everything Frances is not: beautiful, wealthy, powerful, and confident. And for some reason, she’s not interested in being friends with any of the other Forrester moms—only Frances. As the two bond over their disdain of the Forrester snobs and the fierce love they have for their sons, a startling secret threatens to tear them apart—one of these women is not who she seems. Her real name is Amber Kunik. And she’s a murderer.

    Her Pretty Face is “a fierce and blazing one-sitting read that will make you question even your closest friendships” (Carter Wilson, USA TODAY bestselling author).
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJul 10, 2018
    ISBN9781508260332
    Author

    Robyn Harding

    Robyn Harding is the author of numerous international bestsellers, including The Party, The Arrangement and The Drowning Woman. She has also written and executive produced an independent film. She lives in Vancouver, BC, with her family and two cute but deadly rescue chihuahuas. Visit her at RobynHarding.com or follow her on Twitter and Instagram @RHardingWriter or Facebook @AuthorRobynHarding.

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    Reviews for Her Pretty Face

    4/5

    710 ratings39 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I had trouble liking any of the characters. The writing was just so-so. The author likes the word "scurry". A lot. Characters kept "scurrying" here and there, which would be okay for a story about mice, I guess.

      5 people found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I loved the twists and turns of this book. I wasn’t over thrilled with Frances as a character overall, but it was an interesting and thrilling story at the end.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Frances is an outcast in the new town she and her family have just moved to. She's overweight, insecure and doesn't fit in. She doesn't look like the other bitchy, judgemental, cookie-cutter moms at Forrester Academy and her son, Marcus has some behavioral challenges, to say the least. When Marcus does the unthinkable at school, newcomer mom Kate comes to her rescue. While Kate looks like the other beautiful, slim and rich moms at Forrester Academy, she definitely doesn't act like them. Why would she want to be friends with Frances, who is her complete inverse in every way? Frances and Kate quickly become close friends. However, they both have secrets.

      This book is told from three different perspectives: DJ, Frances, and Daisy. It takes place in the past and the present simultaneously. The audiobook is highly recommended, as it is narrated by three different individuals, making for an easy listen.

      Robyn Harding is a master at exploring the relationships between parents and children and friendship as seen in her book The Party. While I was able to guess some of the twists in the book, it was greatly entertaining right until the last word. I felt connected to Frances, as all women at one point or another experience a touch of insecurity.

      Robyn Harding has solidified her spot as a must-read author on my list. 4/5 stars for Her Pretty Face.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      There was so much back and fourth at different time frames for different characters it was hard to follow. The story was also a bit anticlimactic, just not a huge fan.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      This audio is highly flawed! It dips out at crucial plot points, on chapters 47, 48 and 49. Super frustrating for a paid service.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Good read! Kept my attention which is hard at times!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      It was a fine book. Nothing overly surprising - it was pretty easy to figure out, but the characters were likeable and relatable. The author used the same words (“missive” and “pariah”) way too often - not a big deal, just annoying -ha!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I found myself being drawn in so subtly to the characters not in a critical way - more in intrigue and curiosity. There were many aspects for reflection - why do we labour and burden ourselves with painful secrets? Who can we truly trust when not ourselves?
      I enjoyed the story’s journey through the emotional challenges of seemingly endless ways of wanting acceptance and connection.
      Very enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      Lots of characters, but it was very suspenseful. I enjoyed it very much
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this story. It was definitely a good story and the narrators were very good.
    • 5/5
      I have been on a Robyn Harding binge and this book is one of my favorites of hers. I love the way she writes female friendships and relationships. There is an unspoken closeness with all her characters that the reader can't help but want to indulge in themselves. She brings everything together so nicely and leaves almost nothing unsolved. This book has a satisfying ending and has that Robyn Harding "ending" that leaves you wondering!
    • 5/5
      Definitely cried a few times, the conclusion was great & really tied it all together.
    • 3/5
      I thought it started off very strong and died out towards the middle of the book. Though I liked the content, it fell flat and the ending could have been better. Overall not a terrible book but I wouldn’t recommend it.
    • 4/5
      I like the story, but it feels like it ended so quickly. Dunno what happened to David and who contacted DJ . There’s a lot of other questions, but overall, it was a good story.
    • 5/5
      I was so obsessed with this story! Sociopaths, psychopaths and snobby housewives make for a great book.
    • 2/5
      This story wasn’t very thrilling and there wasn’t a twist. I also didn’t like any of the characters.
    • 5/5
      I want to read more books like this a lot
    • 4/5
      It was good! A little predictable in some senses, but overall the story kept me engaged. I recommend the audiobook due to the multiple pov’s, it keeps the story interesting. Only thing I would’ve changed is, I would’ve loved to hear Kate/Amber’s pov!
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars Very entertaining “beach read.” I almost quit in the beginning and I was glad I didn’t.
    • 4/5
      Good narrative .....and good story. not high thrillng but worth to read!
    • 4/5
      This is the first book I’ve read by Robyn Harding and I am glad I was approved for it. This book goes from a few different perspectives: Frances now, Daisy now and DJ then. As the book progresses, you get little pieces of the story. It is a great build up. It tells the story of how two women who are friends, each hiding a dark secret from the other. They have a very intense friendship. At the end, it made me wonder if the friendship was real or had the one woman played the other.

      Once things were revealed, the book wrapped up pretty quickly. I give the book 4 stars for the sheer fact that I would have loved to have read Kate’s point of view….and I wanted a little more to the ending. Maybe a little more detail. It seemed to have ended with a small possibility for a sequel. I really wanted to know what actually happened, who committed the murder – Shane or Amber. I was surprised about how everything played out, who each character ended up being. I thought I figured out who the mysterious man was, but I was wrong.
    • 4/5
      Her Pretty Face
      4 Stars

      Stay-at-home mother, Frances Metcalfe, struggles to fit into the small and petty world of her son's elite school, Forrester Academy. Overweight, insecure, and self-conscious, Frances is ostracized by most of the other mothers until she is befriended by Kate Randolph. The antithesis to Frances, Kate is beautiful, bold, and confident enough to confront the other women. As the friendship between the two develops, Frances finds her inner strength, but a terrible secret lies just beneath the surface as one of them is not who she appears to be ...

      An engrossing read although the twists are rather obvious from the start.

      The narrative is presented from three different perspectives - Frances, Daisy (Kate Randolph's teenage daughter), and D.J., a young boy whose sister was murdered and who seems to be unrelated to the events. However, the connection soon becomes clear as the plot progresses and more details are revealed about Frances and Kate.

      Harding's characterization is excellent. Frances and Daisy are not easy characters to identify with or feel sympathy for; however, their strengths and weaknesses, actions and motivations slowly emerge over the course of the book and it becomes impossible not to care about their individual fates.

      The mystery itself also develops at a slow yet steady pace until there is a sudden Aha! moment and it all coalesces. For me, this happened approximately 1/3 of the way into the book, and from then it was a simple matter of following along to see whether my conclusions were correct.

      In sum, Her Pretty Face, is an intriguing look into the diverse facets of human nature and an individual's capacity for both good and evil. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy a good domestic thriller akin to Big Little Lies.
    • 5/5
      Frances Metcalfe is basically friendless and ostracized by the snooty moms
      in her son's school until one day she meets the new arrival to the neighborhood Kate. The two quickly become the best of friends although something always seems just a bit off. While Kate dotes on her son and on Frances she seems to have no interest or time for her daughter Daisy. Both of these women have secrets in their past but is one of them a sociopath? A murderer? Even if you figure out who is who before the end, and you probably will, this story is still juicier than a soap opera and moves a lot faster. I loved it. 5 stars. A perfect guilty pleasure.

      I received an advance copy for review.
    • 4/5
      Frances Metcalfe is insecure, a few pounds overweight, with a son who is a bit of a handful. After an incident at the private school involving her son, she feels like an outcast. Also, Frances is harboring a secret from her childhood that she has not told her husband, Jason. Enter Kate, the stylish, slim, and put-together mom of two. Kate notices how the other moms treat Frances and befriends Frances, standing up to the mean moms. Frances instantly bonds with Kate. But, does Frances really know her friend? Kate’s daughter, Daisy, is rebellious and doesn’t have a good relationship with her mom. When Daisy puts her trust in an older man, she needs to reach out to Frances for help. In doing so, Frances discovers something about Kate which calls their friendship into question. Additionally, there is a storyline from years earlier about the treatment and death of a young girl which has a long lasting effect on several people. The trial made headlines and plays a part in current day happenings.This book explores many issues, friendship, acceptance, guilt, trust, control, manipulation, revenge, and more. It kept my interest. I thought I had most of it figured out, but I was wrong about a few things. I like when that happens, as the author has surprised me.
    • 4/5
      A good entertaining read. Good pace, an entertaining story, a couple of twists, believable characters. Nice one!
    • 4/5
      Unsettling and engrossing!Frances carries a lot of repressed burdens on her shoulders, which has manifested into comfort eating and weight gain. Her son has also faced a few serious challenges, but is now attending the prestigious Forrester Academy. Frances had hoped his acceptance into the school would change things for her family, but neither she, nor her son, has been well received by the other moms.The only bright spot in Frances’s life is her friendship with Kate. Kate could quite easily fit in with the other mothers at the school, but instead she’s shunned them in favor of befriending Frances.The two women forge a bond over their children, while refusing to conform to the Forrester Academy elitism. However, a stunning discovery could damage their relationship forever….This is another book I pulled from the middle of my mountainous TBR pile. I’d seen mostly positive reviews for this one, but I believe it might have been one of the last psychological or ‘Domestic’ thrillers I added before making a conscious decision to take an extended break from books in this category.Now, I’m having fun going back and plucking out a handful of the better sounding books in those categories and mixing them into my current reading schedule.While somewhat understated, the story is told through various narratives and perspectives, while examining several intriguing themes and viewpoints. While certainly absorbing, the suspense is far from gripping, as the mystery is not much of a mystery.Although I quickly ascertained the lay of the land, it didn't lessen the impact of the alarming set of circumstances that began to emerge as the story developed. I was left with a definite feeling of unease, despite the more positive progress made by many of the characters in the book.The story does lack something I can’t quite articulate, but it had more substance and depth, and was more thought provoking, than I had anticipated.Overall, a solid psychological/ domestic thriller that is a cut above for this category.4 stars
    • 3/5
      3.0

      I won a review copy of “Her Pretty Face” via Goodreads.

      I love a good thriller/mystery. They are the best books to pull you out of a reading slump, which I have been heading down within the last few weeks. I have to say, this book did the job.

      The Story/Plot
      The plot of Harding’s book sounded very familiar. As someone that has already had quite a considerable obsession with crime and criminals, and has done her fair amount of true crime research, it was fairly obvious that this was very loosely based on the case of Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo, two Canadian Serial Killers that together were responsible for the rape, torture and murder of several females. I think that intrigued me even more. The pace and writing was pretty good, and made reading it easy. It wasn’t the type of thriller where I was awed by the larger twists. I guessed both pretty early on. I am not a newbie to the thriller genre, and if you are well seasoned enough you may figure them out yourself.

      Characters
      This story isn’t just about a crime, and isn’t just a thriller. It is a page turner where tension is captured, but it is also a story about ethics, guilt, and shame. It is about the people surrounding the heinous crime that was commuted - people directly involved, those touched by it, and those affected on the periphery. The book is told in alternating point of views of three characters, but it also encompasses the weight the crime had on several people. We have two distinctly different females, both with something dark in their past (albeit one’s past proves to be darker than the other). The one females is graceful and seems to have everything together, the other is more shy and tortured. We have a daughter trying desperately to find where she fits. A son with ADHD who just wants to make friends, and another son who is very compliant, and unfortunately, not really touched on. We get to see the POV of one of the victims that the crime directly touched, and a brief glimpse at the mother of one of the individuals involved in the crime. I appreciated these points of view, even though many of the characters just felt incomplete. Their points of view felt like they were there to just feed the story-line, and I didn’t really connect with any of them. The pacing of the book and pressing forward of the plot didn’t allow for much character development.

      Overall I enjoyed my time in the book, but it just left me wanting…something more.

      Side Note: Unintentional (or is it?) fat shame.


      There is one thing the author does that really got on my nerves, and that is using weight as a personality flaw and a trait to show the characters as pitiable. (I have seen this from several authors in my day and it never fails to get under my skin. It is as annoying as the brown hair girl always being too plain, shy, and awkward ).

      In this book Frances is 20 pounds overweight, and she is written as if she can’t control herself, is a binge eater, and is pathetic as a result. With 20 pounds extra she is self-conscious, considered unattractive, and at one point it’s mentioned how she can’t possibly move her portly leg high enough to kick someone... This character is scared her husband is cheating on her because of how she looks. The twenty extra pounds has made her feel unlovable, and as readers we are meant to see her lack of control around as pathetic as the character does.

      The victim’s brother is so upset over the case that he becomes fat, sits around playing video games, and eats to make himself invisible.

      One of the sons is overweight, friendless and his heft is mentioned every chance the author gets when describing him. His size is also just another thing that holds him back.

      The mother of the criminal is obese, and her home smells of fried food and animal urine. She is seen as gross, another pathetic character in a sea of fat = pathetic characters.

      It is pretty obvious being heavy is probably the worst thing Harding can think of, and she made sure she used weight gain as an unpalatable sign of imbalance. I don’t feel that this is just a lazy writing tactic, but I feel like it is uneducated and harmful.
    • 3/5
      This is a story about an unlikely friendship between two very different women and the secrets they harbor. Frances is a shy and insecure SAHM who just doesn't fit in with the "in crowd" of mothers at her son's elite school. Kate is the polar opposite of Frances in every way but something draws these two women together.People are not what they seem and a devasting secret threatens the friendship of these two very different women. The book was an exciting read though I did find myself becoming irritated with Frances character at times. I did have to put the book down from time to time as I found it a bit disturbing in a way (my own issue not the authors). I couldn't help but find parallels to Karla Homolka. All in all, I found the book to be a suspenseful read.
    • 3/5
      This is a solid three-star book for me. It was a very quick read (I finished it in 24 hours). I did predict some of the events while reading through but that didn't take away the enjoyment of finding out the end. Everything wrapped up nicely, which I appreciate.
    • 3/5
      This was a quick read and fairly entertaining. Brought to mind The Girls by Emma Cline. Perfect beach book.